The Form I-129 fee, the fraud-prevention fee and any applicable asylum program fee at the published amounts, optional premium processing, translations and evidence preparation, then U.S. payroll and relocation, which are business costs rather than immigration fees.
Budget the petition, then budget the assignment
The immigration fees for an L-1B petition are the Form I-129 base fee for L classification, the fraud prevention and detection fee due with an initial L petition, and the asylum program fee where it applies, each at the amount on the USCIS fee schedule, Form G-1055, with reduced tiers for small employers and nonprofits. Premium processing is an optional additional fee. Extensions after the first period are new I-129 filings with the base fee again. Beyond fees, the cost that matters is preparing evidence: assembling and translating manuals and logs, drafting position descriptions and obtaining a management letter, and professional fees if counsel is used. The assignment itself carries costs that are not immigration expenses but should be planned with the petition: U.S. payroll registration for the subsidiary, health coverage, housing, and the salary continuity that the specialist will expect. The petition should state which group entity pays him, because payment by a third-party customer would suggest labour for hire.
A first review should assign each expense to immigration, evidence preparation or the business assignment so the company does not mistake a relocation cost for a filing requirement. The current fee schedule, not an old invoice, settles the government charges. Hypothetical example: a bakery-oven-control manufacturer transfers the employee who designed its proprietary temperature logic. It must fund authenticated manuals and translations before filing, while a customer’s installation budget remains separate. Cutting the evidence budget is risky because generic proof makes the specialized-knowledge claim look like ordinary service work.